Gone
by unbrokensaviorwithperfecthair
Summary: "She was gone. Gone gone gone. That was all Killian Jones could think about as he stared blankly ahead, blinking back tears. Emma was gone." Back in Storybrooke, the Evil Queen abducts Emma. It's up to her friends and family to save her and defeat not only Hyde, but the Evil Queen as well. Charming Family, Captain Swan, Swan Believer, Regina/Zelena sistership.
1. Chapter 1

Hello readers! I'm back after a brief hiatus from writing, and I'm more excited than ever to jump back in. This isn't even how I see season 6 going, it was just an idea that popped into my head. I plan on updating once or twice a week depending on my schedule, but I _will_ say that feedback from you guys tends to make the updates faster *wink wink*.

Please bear with me as I figure out how to write Regina without the Evil Queen, and the Evil Queen without Regina. My take is that Regina will be more subdued and less snarky, and that the Evil Queen will have no sense of right or wrong whatsoever. I should also warn you that if you're an Evil Regal who wants to read a story where Regina is hailed as the most important, best person in the world, this probably isn't the story for you. I'm certainly not setting out to bash Regina, I just feel that in the situation of this particular story, the other characters may not be as openly forgiving to her as they are on the show because she is responsible for this situation to begin with.

I'd also like to try to work a Zelena/Emma friendship of sorts into this as well, because I think they would be a riot if they ever got a scene together (very similar childhoods, defense mechanisms, senses of humor, etc.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and if you feel inclined, let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters. All rights belong to ABC and Adam Horowitz/Eddy Kitsis.

* * *

She was gone. _Gone gone gone_. That was all Killian Jones could think about as he stared blankly ahead, blinking back tears. Emma Swan ‒ _his_ Swan‒ was gone. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up at David, who had a steaming mug of cocoa in each hand and a concerned look on his face. It took the darker haired man a moment to realize that David was worried about _him_.

The realization nearly broke the tenuous control he had over his emotions, but Killian would be damned if he lost it now. This, he could do. He could hold it together for everyone else, because it was what he'd always done. It's the role he'd always played, save for when Liam was in his life, and he knew that keeping it together was what he could do, right now, for Emma's family. Even if he couldn't help her at that very moment, the next best thing was helping them, and that's exactly what she would want.

"Thanks, mate," Killian choked out hoarsely, taking a sip of the steaming cocoa ‒then another and another, because it offered him a different kind of pain to focus on even just for a moment.

"Killian," Snow called out tentatively, lifting her teary eyes from her son's face and up to his. "We're going to find her. That's what this family does," she said.

Killian just wished she sounded a little more sure of that.

* * *

It'd been two hours. Two hours since David had called Killian from the station, asking if he knew where Emma was because she hadn't shown up, and it wasn't like her to just not show up for something. Killian had immediately known something was wrong, because Emma never didn't go where she said she was going without telling someone ‒Killian, specifically‒ and he was the same way. After all they'd been through, a little scare like being home from the store a half our later than what was decided upon was enough to send both partners into panic mode (he never forgot to call Emma to let her know he'd be taking longer than expected again after she went from yelling to crying and clinging within thirty seconds of him walking through the front door).

They'd finally agreed to organize a real search party consisting of Killian, Snow, David, Granny, Regina, and Zelena. He hadn't been too keen on the redhead joining their band of misfits, but he'd soon realized that she was the one person who would be blatantly honest about, well, everything and anything involving Emma's disappearance, and the person who could be the most objective. She and Emma weren't exactly friends, but Killian couldn't say that they hated each other, either. Zelena didn't appear to hold Emma's plan to murder her over against her, and he was pretty sure that Emma didn't have any problems with the other woman.

Granny brought over a plate of appetizers for the group to munch on, not that anyone was hungry. As she brought a chair over to sit, she said,

"I tried to follow her scent. I couldn't."

"So what does that mean?" Regina asked.

"Her scent's all over town, as one would expect. I just can't track her."

"Unless… she wasn't taken out of her house, per se," Zelena piped up for the first time since they'd all sat down. The new voice drew Killian out of his thoughts. Once she was sure that everyone was listening, she continued, "She could've been poofed. I mean, if I was going to kidnap her, that's what I would do."

"You have a point," David said, sitting up straighter than he had been a minute ago as the thoughts swirled around in his head. "Emma's wouldn't be an easy person to kidnap the conventional, non-magical way. She can fight, she has weapons training… she's not a tiny person you can pick up and just throw over your shoulder."

"I did it," Regina looked up in fear. "The Evil Quen…"

"Regina?" Snow put her hand on her stepmother's arm and gazed at her with concerned eyes. "You think that the Evil Queen took her?"

At that, she simply nodded and swallowed hard. "When Ingrid cast the spell of shattered sight, Emma and Elsa and I got into a… fight. Long story short, we discovered we have the power of true hatred. It uh… I like to think that's changed. But since the spell brought out the worst versions of ourselves, and the potion I just drank separated the bad part of my psyche from the good… then the other me that's running around is the worst version of myself‒"

"Which means she and Emma have the power of true hatred and while Emma wouldn't ever act on it, the Evil Queen would happily do just the opposite."

"I'm sorry, Snow, if I'd known that doing this would lead to‒"

"Shut up," the younger woman snapped. "Just shut up. We have all been so supportive of your redemption, and most days, I can ignore the fact that you are the reason I lost twenty eight years with my daughter ‒that my daughter suffered so much for all those years. I have forgiven you for all the times you tried to kill me. I felt bad for you, because Robin died. So I agreed that drinking that potion would be a good thing. But you know what, Regina? We all have had to fight for our happiness. We've all had horrible things happen, but we don't get the luxury of blaming it on an alter ego that lives inside of us. Because the decisions you made as the Evil Queen were still your decisions, and you should face the consequences for those actions. Losing Robin wasn't karma, it was just something that happened. Yes, it sucks. Sometimes, bad things just happen, and you _need_ to find a way to cope that doesn't involve forcing someone to write you a happy ending or drinking a potion. If _anything_ happens to Emma because of this, I won't be able to forgive you for that. I just won't." With that, Snow shot up from the table and ran off.

After handing baby Neal to Killian, David took off after his wife. Zelena reached across the table to console her sister, and Granny shot an apologetic look at Killian.

"How do we know Hyde didn't do it?" Zelena asked, hoping to make Regina feel better.

"We don't know how his magic works here, but it's a possibility," Killian said. "Then again, why didn't he just take her? He's powerful enough, physically, and considering magic in Storybrooke has been unstable, it would be the safer option for him. Then we run into the problem of a motive. I'm not sure he has one."

"All the villains have a motive when it comes to getting rid of Emma," Regina said with a sigh. "He said he wants to control Storybrooke. He wants the town to be _his_. I may be the mayor, but Emma's the savior. If he was behind this, I think he would take us all one by one, starting with her, then me. And considering I'm sitting right here, I don't think he took her."

"At any rate, she trusted whoever took her. She put a protection spell around our house, so no one could get in unless she wanted them to."

"I probably disguised myself to look like me and she let me in thinking I was me and then I poofed her to God knows where." When Regina was met with perplexed stares, she said, "That made a lot more sense in my head."

"I think I got it," Killian said, offering her a small smile. He completely understood Snow's anger, but he knew that it didn't matter whose fault it was. They all needed to work together to save Emma.

"If it's any consolation, we likely have a good amount of time to find her. I would keep my prisoners for weeks, if I really wanted to make them suffer. And the only person I wanted to suffer more than Emma Swan was her mother."

Killian knew exactly what Regina meant, and he felt his stomach lurch. He followed in Snow's footsteps, barley making it outside of the diner before he heaved uncontrollably, his entire body shuddering with the effort of expelling his breakfast.

He saw a dark blur out of the corner of his eye and barely had time to brace himself before Henry ran into him like a missile. The boy buried his face in Killian's chest, and Killian wrapped his arms around Henry's shaking shoulders.

"We're going to find her, Henry," he murmured while he combed his fingers through Henry's hair, hoping he sounded more convincing than Snow had earlier. After a minute, Henry pulled back and swiped angrily at his eyes. Killian knelt down so his eyes could be level with Henry's and said, "tears aren't a sign of weakness, lad. They mean that you care. In this world, caring about someone or something can be the bravest thing you'll ever do."

The teenager only nodded, still too overcome with emotion to speak. Killian guided Henry over to a bench and sat quietly, waiting for him to be ready to talk. He didn't have to wait long.

"I'm not used to my mom being missing. Even when she was the dark one, she was still _here_ , you know what I mean? I knew she was in there, I could feel it, and I knew she would never stop fighting to come back to me, because she's my mom, and she promised me she'd never leave me. And then you died, and we got you back, then we had to leave you. Now you're back. And I'm scared my mom ‒my other mom‒ is going to pull away from me like she did last time she lost Robin. Only this time, he's never coming back. I just keep losing the people I care about, and I really, _really_ can't lose any of you."

"I understand, Henry," Killian said, his voice thick. "More than you'd think."

"Mom does the saving," the boy said after letting Killian's words sink in. "She's the one who punches the bad guys in the face. Now the bad guy has her and _she's_ the one who needs to be saved, and this is just all kinds of messed up."

The pirate wanted to point out that it was his other mother who was holding Emma captive ‒sort of‒ and not a bad guy. Because the Evil Queen wasn't a bad guy, she was evil, and that Hyde was the bad guy. He decided it should be Emma's decision when to tell Henry about the town's newest predicament involving Regina. Then he realized Emma wasn't here _because_ of the town's newest predicament involving Regina. He didn't want Henry to do something stupid like try to confront the Evil Queen by himself, thinking he could talk some sense into her, so he decided to change the subject and at least attempt to alleviate some of Henry's fear.

"You know what she once said to me?" Killian asked, his lips quirking up as the memory flitted into his mind.

"What?"

"When we went back in time, Regina was holding her captive. I showed up to save her, only to find she'd already escaped. I informed her that she was depriving me of a dashing rescue, and she told me that the only one that saved her was her." Killian chuckled and put a hand on Henry's shoulder. "What'll likely happen is we'll show up to wherever she is now, and she'll have already gotten herself out of this mess. Then she'll tell us it's comforting to know we found her so damned slowly because she won't be able to resist giving us crap for how long it's taking us."

"Maybe…" Henry chewed on his bottom lip, not entirely convinced.

Though Killian hadn't been religious prior to his trip to the Underworld and impromptu meeting with Zeus, he now prayed to whatever God was listening ‒be it Zeus or the big man himself‒ that he was right.

* * *

The first thing that Emma became aware of was the pounding in her head. It was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before ‒not a migraine, hangover, or sinus headache‒ it was something else entirely. She tried to move her hands to massage her temples, only to find that they were shackled to the wall. She soon discovered the same was true of her ankles.

 _Well, shit_.

She finally opened her eyes to find she was in some kind of dungeon or medieval inspired basement.

"Look who decided to join the party," a familiar voice crooned. Emma suddenly felt far too vulnerable for her liking with her hands chained above her head and her legs immobilized.

"I wouldn't say this is much of a party since the only way for you to get even one guest is to shackle her to a wall," Emma said, resisting the urge to thrash around in an attempt to get free. Doing so would only make the woman standing before her think she was scared.

Emma Swan was _not_ scared of any villain, least of all Regina Mills. At least, that's what she told herself.

But the dark haired, crazy eyed woman that was looking at her now? She was most definitely not Regina Mills.

Emma wondered if maybe she should be a little scared. If the growing fireball in the Queen's hand was anything to go by, she decided she should be.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the reviews, follows, and favorites! Your support means the world to me. This chapter (as I'm typing this sentence now) is probably going to be up earlier than I anticipated. I originally thought that updates would happen weekly, but I'm happy to update sooner if my schedule allows. As always, feedback tends to make the updates come faster.

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters.

* * *

 _Emma wondered if maybe she should be a little scared. If the growing fireball in the Queen's hand was anything to go by, she decided she should be._

The Evil Queen seemed to sense Emma's fear, because she cackled before disappearing into a swirl of purple smoke. Emma tugged on her restraints, but to no avail. With a sigh, she glanced up at her wrists; the right cuff was different from the left. She realized the right cuff was the black cuff that inhibited the wearer's magic.

She sighed again. She was shackled to a wall, magicless, and at the mercy of a psychopath. It was unnerving, to say the least, but she wasn't sure it topped her list of 'Shittiest Situations I've Ever Been In'. _I survived months in the alternate universe, chained to a room, knowing everything that was happening, including the fact that no one was looking for me. I'll be fine_ …

She guessed that it was probably good news that Regina hadn't killed her yet. It meant that she wanted something from her ‒and Emma wasn't going to give her anything‒ which meant her family had until her captor had a psychotic break and simply killed her.

She tugged at her restraints again, and a thought came to her. If she could just get out of the damned cuffs, she could fight. It didn't matter that the magic-zapping cuff was on; she didn't need magic. All she needed was a fist. The Evil Queen might have had magic, but if Emma could take her by surprise, she had the physical advantage… not that she'd mind if Snow, Killian, David, and Regina walked in soon and freed her. That would also be totally fine.

* * *

Killian guided Henry into the booth that Regina and Zelena were occupying, and the boy immediately threw himself at his mother. Killian locked eyes with Zelena and motioned for her to follow him. Glancing down at the pink bundle in her arms, the redhead eyed him suspiciously, then did as she was asked. Once they were outside, she gave him a pointed look.

"Well?" She demanded.

"You're irritable, bitchy, petulant, selfish, and unforgiving," he started, only to be cut off with an eye roll.

"Yes, well, you're an irritating, self-centered, egotistical bastard," she snapped.

"I didn‒ that's not what I meant," he sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"Of course it wasn't," she said with a sarcastic huff, but he could see her eyes soften just slightly, taking pity on him given the current situation.

"I just… it was a compliment. Look, I'm usually very eloquent and _very_ good with women, but given the fact that Emma's missing‒"

"I get it," she cut him off with the wave of her free hand. Clearly she wasn't in the mood for a heart to heart. "Just cut to the chase."

"You aren't afraid to get your hands dirty, and you never back down from a fight. In the short while I've known you, I've come to see you and Emma as very similar, so I do believe that in a difficult situation, you can make the difficult decisions that serve to the greater good. I _will_ do whatever it takes to get Emma back, even if it means stepping down when I know I've reached my limit. Now, I reckon that when you've been hurt, you would rather hurt someone who is deserving of your wrath. Considering you just stabbed your true love to death, you must be in a world of hurt. Wouldn't it be nice to take it out on someone you've _wanted_ to take it out on for so long, but now that you love her, can't?"

"You want me to take out the Evil Queen," Zelena smiled, her cerulean eyes lighting up for the first time since Hades and Robin died.

"You may have forgiven Regina, but you haven't forgiven the Evil Queen for casting the Dark Curse, have you?"

"And you don't want to do anything dark because you don't know how bad behavior will affect you, Oh ex-Dark One?"

"Do we have an understanding?" He took a step closer, crowding her. She had to tilt her head up slightly to meet his gaze, but she did, and Killian saw nothing but steel staring back at him. "Good," he said lowly, knowing she wasn't going to give him verbal confirmation. The two stood toe to toe for another moment before Snow's voice forced them to look in her direction.

"Hey!" the small woman yelled, giving them a stern look. "Emma's _missing_ and you two are continuing to have your schoolyard quarrels!?"

"Actually, we were just finishing discussing a plan," Zelena said, sauntering over to Snow and David. Husband and wife turned to Killian in unison, awaiting his confirmation that there were, in fact, no problems between him and Regina's sister.

"Well let's hear it," David plastered on a hopeful smile.

"Things might get a little… _wicked_ ," the taller woman grinned and glanced down at the baby in her arms.

"Umm…" Snow and David shot nervous looks to each other.

"Oh, relax," the redhead said dismissively. "Since my sister has become the town's new doormat ‒she really is no fun without _some_ darkness in her‒ and the pirate here is worried committing any villainous acts could bring out the Dark One's curse again, I'll be responsible for finding the Queen and extracting Emma's location from her."

"Zelena, you just turned over a new leaf‒"

"I don't care!" She exclaimed, startling baby Robin. She rocked her daughter and whispered to her for a few moments before closing her eyes and regaining control of herself. "I'm more powerful than her. And to be honest, I'm smarter, because even after ‒how many years did she try to kill you for?‒ she still couldn't manage to kill you. It took me less than two days to put Dorothy under a sleeping curse. I could've killed her if I wanted to. If it comes to a witch fight, I'm the bitch you want on your side. I _was_ just informed by the pirate that I'm a bitch, which, according to him, is a good thing, so‒"

"I don't know about this," David said, shaking his head.

"Charming, a word?" Snow nodded her head to the side, and with a smile to Killian, followed his wife until they were out of earshot from the other two.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

"She needs this, David," Snow said. "I know how I felt, after I crushed your heart, and I would've given anything to make that pain go away. You saw what Emma killing Killian did to her. She has never been that lost or that inconsolable. Zelena and Hades may have just gotten together when she killed him, but he was still her true love, and she is _still_ hurting just as badly as Emma and I were."

"Snow, you can't possibly be wanting to help her, all she's ever done is screw us over," David replied, disbelief and uncertainty written all over his face.

"Maybe it's because Zelena reminds me of Emma when she first came to town, before she broke the curse. When Graham died, she didn't come home. Naturally, I was worried, so I drove down and found her sitting at her desk, staring at the spot where his body had been laying. I somehow managed to get her to come home with me, and there were tears that night, but after… in the morning, she acted as if nothing had happened. So what I think about when I look at Zelena, is how much alike her and my baby girl are. Emma was… abused as a child," Snow paused, then swallowed and continued: "So was Zelena. Neither felt wanted for their entire lives, and that changed for Emma when she came to Storybrooke, but it's only just changed for Zelena. And I know that as Mary Margaret, I helped break down a few of Emma's walls, helped to bring out the woman behind the hard shell. I would like to be able to do that for Zelena, because like it or not, she's a part of this family now."

"I get that, Snow, I do, I just… I don't trust her."

"She has her daughter. She has Regina. Why on earth would she screw us all over now? There's no reason for her to. David," she grasped his hands, "she needs to get her anger out somehow. Why not have her do it while helping us find Emma? Regina won't be much help now. Killian has a point ‒Emma fought so hard to get the darkness out of him, there's no sense in ruining all of their progress by him letting the darkness back in. You and I are certainly not capable of taking on the Evil Queen by ourselves."

"Alright," David conceded with a sigh. "I just hope you're right."

* * *

Emma's head snapped up the second purple smoke filled the room and the Queen appeared. She glared at her, and the raven-haired woman chuckled.

"You really have no idea who you're dealing with, do you dear?"

"What do you want?" Emma grumbled.

"Well, you see, that's a bit complicated," she said, making a show of checking out her finely manicured fingernails, as if she was completely and utterly unconcerned by the woman she currently had chained to a wall.

"Try me," Emma demanded.

"As you wish," the Evil Queen smirked, mimicking one of Killian's catch-phrases. It sent the blonde's stomach churning, wondering if he was alright or not, but she wasn't about to give her captor the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. "You see, your mother ruined my life."

At that, Emma let her head drop back against the wall and heaved a huge sigh. This woman was impossible.

"That was _decades_ ago!" She all but screamed out of frustration. "And you know what? If you didn't want your secret getting out, you shouldn't have told a child. More than that, though, did you _really_ think you could run away from Cora? All she'd have needed was a simple locator spell, and she'd have found you two and killed Daniel anyway. You really need to stop blaming other people for your probl‒"

She was cut off by a sharp slap to the face, and she immediately tilted her head back into its neutral position and glared into the Queen's eyes.

"If you _ever_ say anything along those lines again, you will regret it." When the blonde held her gaze, she smirked, then continued her monologue. "As I was saying, your mother ruined my life. She needs to pay. I figure by holding you captive, she'll come wandering here eventually and I will finally have my revenge. In the meantime, however, you need to pay for stealing my son."

Emma actually groaned at that before saying, "I didn't steal Henry. He came and found me because _you_ made him so miserable he came looking for his birth mother. That's on you, not me. But you should be apologizing to _me_ for gas lighting _my son_ for ten years. I gave him up for adoption so he'd feel loved and have a secure home, not for him to think he was crazy and feel unloved."

At that, the Evil Queen looked shocked, then threw a punch at Emma's face before once again poofing away. Emma spat out blood and moaned, wishing she could feel the back of her head for blood because it definitely banged against the stone wall. She closed her eyes for a moment, giving herself a few seconds to let tears come to her eyes before squeezing her eyelids shut even tighter to keep them from spilling over. It was a tactic she'd learned after her first few times being beaten in the Johnson household when she was eleven. It provided a tiny bit of release without any actual crying. When she was younger, she used it out of fear of being beaten more for crying, as the foster parents who abused her hated when any of the kids cried. As she got older and deemed crying unacceptable, she used the tactic whenever she felt the overwhelming urge to break down and knew actual tears would be imminent if she didn't do _something_.

She nodded to herself and decided her pity party was over. It certainly wasn't going to get her out of this place, at any rate, and she needed to focus on doing something that would.

 _I gave birth without an epidural_ , she thought. _I'll can take whatever she throws at me_.


	3. Chapter 3

As I've previously stated in previous chapters, I'd like to examine Killian and Zelena's relationship (not at all meant in a romantic way). Their interactions onscreen are so fun to watch, and I wish Killian, on the show, got more time with characters other than the Charmings because he's a riot when he's with people who haven't quite accepted him and are still weary of him. Anyway, this chapter will focus a bit heavily on those aspects, but never fear, I have big plans for Captain Swan!

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters.

* * *

The heroes reconvened in the Charming's loft since it was more comfortable for little Neal. They had a partial plan, but nothing concrete. They sat in the kitchen, looking at each other, then back to the mugs of cocoa in their hands that had long since gone cold. Finally, Regina spoke.

"I know a thing or two about trying to kill people," she said, her voice far less assertive without the Evil Queen in her. She almost sounded as if she was unsure of herself. "And first thing's first, we need to find the Queen."

"Locator spell?" Snow suggested.

"Possibly," Regina nodded, setting her mug on the counter. "Since her magic and my magic are the same, I don't think she'd be able to detect it."

"That would give us the element of surprise we need," David leaned back and exhaled. "It's still risky, though."

"If only we could communicate with Emma, we could let her know we're coming for her, let her know of our plan, maybe she could help from the inside…" Snow trailed off.

"If she could somehow get the cuff onto me, that would help _tremendously_ ," Regina said. "Without magic, the Queen is powerless. Hell, at that point, Emma could just walk out of wherever she's keeping her."

"Hold that thought," Killian said, standing up and beginning to pace. "What if we just shut off Storybrooke's magic?"

At that, Zelena rolled her eyes and said, "That's what Rumplestiltskin just tried to do, and how we ended up with this new villain. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that that's probably not a good idea to do again."

"I don't even know if we could do that," Regina said honestly. "It would definitely be a huge risk."

"But if the Evil Queen doesn't have magic, she can't hurt Emma. Look," Killian took a seat again, "Even if we find the Queen, I'm not entirely sure she's going to tell us where Emma is, whether we ask politely or not. I originally thought that was the best way to go, but… now I'm not so sure. We are all so used to running into situations, guns blazing, but I think we're forgetting who we're trying to save. Emma won't be waiting around for someone to save her. If the Queen didn't have magic, she wouldn't have been kidnapped in the first place. No offense, love, but you can't fight," Killian nodded toward Regina. "And neither can the Queen. If it was a level playing field, magically speaking, Emma would have been out of there by now. I am extremely confident that if the Queen has no magic, and Emma is in a state where she can fight, she will, and she will _win_."

"I can attest to that," Regina butt in with an awkward cough. "From multiple experiences, actually."

The small group laughed for what felt like the first time in days.

"Right hook?" Killian asked

"Yup," the brunette sighed.

"At least she didn't have a golden compass in her hand…"

"Ow," David looked at his friend sympathetically.

"We may need Gold's help, if we do this," Zelena said cautiously, wincing as she reminded everyone why they were talking about their friend in the first place.

"No we won't," Regina said, pointing to Zelena's neck. "Your pendant."

"They're never going to go for that," the redhead said, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Go for what?" David asked.

Regina sighed and said, "Tie all of Storybrooke's magic to her pendant, which holds her magic. Essentially, my sister will be the most powerful person in the entire town."

"But Gold's the Dark One…" Snow pointed out.

"He'll still have his magic, yes," now it was Regina's turn to pace. "But it'll be diminished. He wasn't born with magic. Neither was I. He'll retain some of his abilities because of the Dark One's Curse. The Queen won't have any magic."

"Well then what are we bloody waiting for?" Killian smiled, albeit a little nervously.

"I don't know," David said, eyeing Zelena.

"Oh for Christ's sake, what do you want me to do to prove to you that I'm not going to screw you over!?" Zelena burst out.

"Do you even realize how many times you _have_ screwed us over either because you were being petty or because it was just plain convenient for you to do so?" David shot back.

"I've changed! You lot practically welcomed my sister with open arms the moment she started spouting on about how she'd changed, and she's done more to your family than I have! You've all happily forgotten her past misdeeds but you aren't willing to do the same for me, and it's a bloody double standard. Hell, I've forgiven Emma for planning to _kill_ me in cold blood because it was _convenient_ for her to do so," the redhead spat at David. "It's no matter whether you guys like me or not, because I'm honestly not too fond of you either. And I don't really care if people like me, I have my daughter, and she's all I need. So from one _parent_ to another, I'm telling you I will help you get Emma back, but I can't do that if you don't let me help."

"You can help," Snow said, stepping forward with a smile. "And we're very appreciative, right David?"

"If you try anything‒"

"You'll make me regret it, yeah yeah yeah. Got it. Now, I will need a little bit of the Olympian Crystal."

"I can help with that," Henry said from the stairway, causing the Charmings to groan. "No, you guys don't understand. _Both_ my parents were, like, professional thieves. And Killian's taught me a th‒"

"No need to elaborate," the pirate jokingly put a hand over the boy's mouth.

"I can help!" He pushed Killian's hand away.

"Henry, the crystal got absorbed by the town. It… there's nothing to steal," Regina said empathetically. She quickly added, "Not that I condone that sort of behavior."

"I now see why I was able to dupe you lot so much," Zelena grinned. At the blank stares, she elaborated, "I mean, _clearly_ you aren't the brightest bulbs. And you're also terrible planners. The pirate's actually fairly decent, but‒"

"Get to wherever you're going with this, Zelena," David grit out.

"Ooh, touchy I see." She leaned forward in her chair, building the suspense. "The crystal itself was absorbed into Storybrooke. All we need is some dirt because anything _in_ Storybrooke contains the crystal."

"Or the pendant itself?" Snow asked. "I mean, I'm the least magically expert person here, but‒"

"No, you're right. It should work," Regina said with a smile. "We have a plan!"

* * *

"Where am I?" Emma asked the woman standing before her. "Your vault?"

"Do I really look that stupid?" The Evil Queen raised a perfect eyebrow.

"No, but you do look that crazy."

The brunette rushed forward and took the wrist shackles off, then pushed Emma to the ground.

"As much as I want to hurt you," she growled, "I want to hurt your mother more. And I can't do that until she comes here. Then I will force her to watch as I rip you to pieces, bit… by… bit… until you're dead. She won't be stupid enough to bring that baby here, but I suppose watching her oldest die will have to be punishment enough." With that, the Queen disappeared again.

Emma wasted no time in pulling a bobby pin out of her hair and picking the locks on the ankle shackles. Once they were free, she rubbed her sore extremities, grateful that she had enough common sense to not struggle against them and rub her skin raw. _I can't believe she didn't chain me back up_ , the blonde thought to herself, then wondered if this was part of the Queen's plan.

* * *

"So what exactly do you have to do?" Killian asked as the group stared at Zelena, waiting for the pendant to glow.

"I think I just have to… imagine the magic going into the pendant… I think."

Regina stepped forward, next to her sister, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You can do this," the shorter woman said with an encouraging smile.

"Of course I can," the redhead replied indignantly, horrified that someone thought she believed herself to be incapable of doing magic. She closed her eyes and focused.

"That's not going to work," a booming voice said from behind the group. Everyone whirled around and found Zeus standing before them. "It's nice to see you found your way home, Killian," the god nodded. Killian shot him an appreciative look, too in awe to speak.

"Well then what the bloody hell do you suggest I do?" Zelena snapped, seemingly unaware of the deity she was speaking to. Killian just about did a facepalm but decided against it. Zeus simply chuckled and walked towards her.

"I suppose I now understand what my brother saw in you," he said smugly. Normally, Zelena's slack jawed mouth and bugging eyes would have sent the group into a fit of laughter, but like Killian, they could barely move in Zeus's presence.

"You're… you're Hades' brother?"

"Yes. Allow me to formally introduce myself, I am Zeus," he said, nodding to everyone. "Now, I didn't send Killian here back to the land of the living only for Emma Swan to be killed. I swear, you two are more frustrating than any other True Love couple we've had the pleasure of watching."

"Wait, you've _watched_ us all!?" Snow screeched. "Like, at all times?"

"Good gods, no," Zeus chuckled. "We just like to check in every once in a while. And this town of yours has become better than soap operas. The most entertainment we've had in eons!"

"Glad we could be of service," Regina smiled.

"Now give me that thing," Zeus motioned to Zelena, who only clutched her pendant tighter.

"How do I know you're not going to take it and use it for your own sake?"

"I pinky promise I won't."

"It's what Hades would do. It's what _I_ would do."

"Look," Zeus sighed. "I just want Killian and Emma to get their happy ever after. We have a bet going up there about all sorts of things that could happen in their lives ‒who will propose, number of kids, will they get a cat or a dog‒ stuff like that. So it would be in _my_ best interest that neither of them die so that I can win. Can't have a marriage or kids if one of 'em is dead." He held his hand out expectantly, and with a scowl, Zelena handed it over.

"Wait, did you say _kids_ ‒"

" _David_ ," Snow shushed her husband. The group watched as Zeus held the pendant up to the sky and it started to glow.

"There," he said, handing it back to its owner. "All of Storybrooke's magic is now inside the pendant. No one who wasn't born with magic will be able to wield any."

With a smile, the redhead slipped the tiny chain around her neck and let the pendant fall into place.

"Thank you," Killian said. "For everything you've done."

"The only thing I've done is put you back into your body. Everything else that's happened has been you and her." As he prepared to return to the heavens, Zeus said, "By the way, Zelena. My brother… he did love you. He wanted to be with you. He just… couldn't give up power." With that, Zeus left.

Regina stepped next to her sister and offered her a sympathetic smile.

"Let's get on with this, then," Zelena said in a tight voice. With a wave of her hand, the pendant glowed again.

"It worked," Regina said quietly. "I don't have my magic."

"That means the Evil Queen doesn't, either."

"We should split up so that one of us will find Emma when she escapes," Killian said.

"In pairs, though. As Zeus said, we just got you back and we're not about to lose you," David said, clasping the older man's shoulder. "Regina and Zelena, you take the southern woods near the town line. Snow and I will go east, and Killian…" David suddenly realized the woman Killian usually paired with was the one they were looking for.

"I'd be happy to go with him," Granny said from the doorway. "Bet you're happy you gave me a spare key, huh?"

"Thank you," Killian smiled gratefully. Once upon a time, that woman hated him and certainly didn't trust him. Now, she trusted him with her goddaughter's life.

"Alright. Call as soon as one of us finds her…" David said, looking around the group. Fear took root in the pit of his stomach, but when Snow grasped his hand, he remembered that his family always found one another.

Everything was going to be just fine.


	4. Chapter 4

I just wanted to thank everyone who has read and/or reviewed. Your support has meant so much to me. Enjoy this last chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters. All rights go to ABC and Adam Horowitz/Eddy Kitsis.

* * *

The Evil Queen walked through the doorway to the underground room looking none too pleased.

"What did you do?" She snarled.

"Whatever it is you think I did, I think I have a pretty good alibi," Emma responded, echoing her statement from one of the first interactions she'd had with Regina when she first came to town.

"You took my magic!"

"No…" Emma's lips quirked upward, "but I know who did."

Ignoring the ache radiating through her entire body, she pounced forward and slammed the Queen into the wall. The brunette struggled, but she didn't stand a chance against Emma, who at this point, had her pinned.

"You're going to regret this!"

"No I won't," Emma smirked as her fist connected with her captor's face with a satisfying crunch. The Queen crumpled to the ground, unconscious, and Emma made a run for it.

* * *

Killian walked through the woods, his eyes scanning in every direction for a sign of his Swan. As he rounded a corner, he felt arms wrap around his torso and yank him behind a tree. Just as he was about to strike his attacker, he saw a blur of blonde and realized the arms were hugging him, not hurting him.

"Emma!" He exclaimed, fully returning the hug.

"Thank you," she said breathlessly as he held her to his chest. When he felt her shaking, he pulled her in tighter.

"Here, let's get that off of you," he said as he gently removed the cuff. "Where's the Evil Queen?"

"In some dungeon. I uh… I think she'll be out for a while, at any rate, and we'll have time to regroup with the others and come up with a plan. I figured it was you who took her magic away, and she was dumb enough to let her prisoner out of shackles, so I punched her in the face, and‒"

"Emma," he cut her off firmly but gently. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she responded, but her cut her off with a look. "Well… I probably have a concussion and my hand hurts like a bitch, but other than that I'm fine."

He took her right hand in his and looked it over.

"It does look a bit swollen, love," he said quietly.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "Do you have your phone?"

"Your parents," he nodded. "Right, I was supposed to call once I found you. And I lost Granny somewhere along the way… she thought she smelled something, but I could feel you weren't there‒"

"It's okay," she said, putting her hands on his shoulders. "It's okay, we'll just call them now." With a nod, Killian fished his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Emma. She dialed her dad's number, and he picked up on the first ring.

"Killian? Did you fi‒"

"Dad…" The blonde bit her lip as her voice broke. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, not wanting to alarm anyone. "I'm okay. I'm with Killian, and the Queen is half a mile southeast of where me and him are. She should still be on the floor, but if she isn't and she woke up, then at least she doesn't have magic and we'll be able to‒"

" _Emma_ ," David breathed, and she heard him put the phone on speaker.

"Honey, are you alright?" Snow asked, and the blonde could picture her parents fighting for the closest spot to the phone.

"I'm fine," she responded patiently.

"Concussion and broken hand," Killian cut in, and Emma shot him a look.

" _Possible_ concussion and my hand is _not_ broken, Killian. I'm fine, alright? Right now we need to‒"

"You need to get to the hospital," Snow cut her off. "We'll meet you th‒"

" _Mom_ ," Emma sighed, "We'll all be in much worse shape if we don't deal with the Evil Queen, because she's gonna be pretty pissed off when she wakes up."

"Fine," David said. "We'll meet up at the hospital and while Whale's checking you out, we'll figure out what we're gonna do. I'll call Regina and Zelena, and you guys just get to the hospital and we'll meet you there."

Killian and Emma looked at each other, then nodded.

"Will do, Dave," Killian said.

"We love you, Emma," David said, and Emma smiled,

"Me too." With that, Emma pressed the red button and ended the call.

"We better get out of here," Killian said, putting an arm around her.

"Yeah," she sighed, leaning on him slightly as they trekked out of the woods.

* * *

Killian and Emma were enjoying the relative peace and silence of their own private room in the emergency department of Storybrooke General when six distinct voices could be heard. Within seconds, Snow, David, Regina, Zelena, Granny, and Henry were all barreling into her room. Henry launched himself onto her bed. Snow and David each flanked her on one side, effectively shoving Killian out of the way (though David did offer him an apologetic look). Regina took post at the foot of the bed while Zelena hovered near the doorway.

"I'm okay, Henry," Emma whispered as she clutched onto her son.

"I thought you were gonna…" He cut himself off, unwilling to finish the thought.

"Hey," the blonde said firmly as she pulled back to look Henry in the eye. "Your mom already tried to kill me with the apple turnover you ended up eating. Every villain, like, _ever_ has tried to kill me. I'm pretty unkillable. And Killian here," she jammed her thumb in his direction, "was resurrected by Zeus so that we can be together. I don't think the gods will let me stay dead even if someone manages to kill me. I'm not going anywhere, kid."

Henry nodded, blinking back tears, and rolled off the bed to give Killian a spot. He shook his head and motioned for Henry to stay where he was. The boy needed his mother.

"I'm sorry," Regina said quietly. "If I'd known this would happen…"

"You couldn't have known," the blonde replied. "None of us did."

"It was still a bad idea. We didn't know what the repercussions would be, we didn't even know if I could kill the Evil Queen ‒which I didn't‒ because my heart is still in me, so it seems she doesn't need the heart that was in her. So now we have no way of killing her, and‒"

"A heart, magically, she may not need. But a hole in her brain might prove to be more of a problem for her," Emma said.

"I'll do it," Killian said.

"Hey, she took _me_ , I'm damn well going to be the one who‒"

"You need to rest," Snow said, still not relinquishing her grip on her daughter's hand.

"I'm _fine_ ," Emma threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. The IV line tugged, and she looked down. "Okay… I will be once I get out of here. Where is he?"

"Dr. Whale? I'll go find him," Zelena said before scooting off.

"She helped?" Emma turned her head to Killian, who shrugged.

"She did a lot to help," Regina said with a proud smile. "She's really changed."

"That's good," the blonde said. "I'm glad things are working out for the two of you."

"Me too."

The group sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until Zelena returned with a very annoyed Dr. Whale.

"Miss Swan," the doctor entered with a curt nod.

"Were you with another patient?" Emma cringed.

"An old lady in respiratory distress. She'll be okay for a few minutes I suppose," he said. "Besides, this one wouldn't take no for an answer, so at the risk of sustaining bodily harm, I decided it would be best to attend to your needs."

"I didn't threaten him," Zelena said, making it obvious that she was being better so that her daughter wouldn't get taken away.

"Let's get on with this, then," Dr. Whale sighed. He loved the Charmings, he really did. But they weren't the best patients, and he had a much nicer elderly woman down the hall. "Alright, Emma, so…" he flipped through her chart. "You do have a concussion… not too severe, but you can expect symptoms to persist for one to two weeks. Minor abrasions on your wrists and ankles, dehydration… hairline fractures on two of your fingers. I'd like to keep you on fluids overnight and also keep you on concussion watch‒"

"I'll drink," Emma said. "I promise I'll chug a bottle of water every fifteen minutes or whatever it takes to get out of here. I just want to go home."

"Still, there's the concussion…"

"I've had plenty of concussions," the blonde waved off his concern. "This isn't even the worst I've ever had. I'll be fine."

Dr. Whale pressed his lips into a thin line and looked at Snow and David. "You'll watch her?"

"Of course," Snow replied, and Dr. Whale knew it was a silly question. That woman barely let her kids out of her sight when they were well, never mind when they were sick.

"Alright. I'm not too happy, but I know arguing is pointless and there's nothing we can do here that you can't do at home. If she vomits, bring her right back."

"I'm sitting right here…" Emma grumbled, and Killian put a hand on her leg.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" The darker haired man asked. "If you think she'd be better off here, then maybe you should stay, Emma."

"I'm going home," she said firmly.

"I'll have the nurse get the discharge papers, then." With that, Dr. Whale left.

* * *

"Here's your grilled cheese and onion rings," Snow said as she set a plate in front of Emma, who was sprawled out on her mother's couch.

"I'm _starving_ ," the blonde said, leaning forward and all but attacking her lunch.

"We have two tubs of ice cream in the freezer," David said from the kitchen, where he was balancing baby Neal in one arm and a mug of cocoa in his other hand. He set it down on the coffee table next to her plate, then sat next to her. "I'm pretty sure your mom has chocolate chip cookies somewhere around here, too, but if you feel like something more substantial than ice cream and cookies, I'd be happy to make you whatever you want."

"Thanks, Dad," Emma smiled, putting her grilled cheese down long enough to give her father's hand a squeeze.

It absolutely thrilled Snow and David to be able to take care of their usually independent daughter. It also hurt, on some level, because Snow figured behind the smile the blonde was putting on for her family's sake, she was in a great deal of pain ‒and beyond exhausted‒ if she was letting them wait on her while she rested on the couch.

Henry and Killian burst through the door with brown bags from Granny's in each of their arms. With a wave of Emma's hand, all four bags went flying onto the kitchen counter. Snow shot her daughter a look, and the blonde smiled back sheepishly.

"I was just trying to help."

"You need to rest, and using your magic isn't resting," David said gently. He relinquished his spot on the couch to Killian, who was walking over with his own plate of food. Killian nodded his thanks and slid next to Emma.

"How are you feeling, love?"

"Hungry," she replied as she popped an onion ring into her mouth. The other three adults fixed her with a look, and she rolled her eyes. "I'm _fine_. Just a little tired, that's all."

Little Neal didn't seem to appreciate the attention not being on him, and he let out a squeal.

"Ssh, honey…" Snow murmured and all but snatched him out of David's arms. "He's probably hungry, too."

"If he's gonna be crying, maybe just keep him… like… away from me, because loud noises and concussions do not mix for me."

"Of course," Snow patted Emma on the knee as she walked into her bedroom. Killian looked over to the kitchen, where Henry was standing awkwardly with his plate balanced in his hands.

"Come here, lad," the pirate said while patting the cushion to his right and sliding to his left. After hesitating for a moment, Henry plopped himself down between Emma and Killian.

"I'm okay, Henry," Emma assured him. "I'm just gonna be sore for a week, then I'll be good as new."

"But you're not okay _now_ ," he said quietly. Though he was nearly thirteen and very much a teenager, Emma found in times like these, she could still see the sad, ten year old boy who showed up on her doorstep all those years ago. It made her heart ache for the time she'd lost with him, as well as the knowledge that she had made him this scared.

"This isn't the worst shape I've ever been in," she said, shifting herself so that she could hug him close and run her fingers through his hair. "I promise I will be absolutely fine."

Seeming to accept her answer, Henry sat up and began picking at his lunch. Emma leaned back and looked over to Killian, who smiled at her.

"Ack, you guys are having one of those eye conversations that Gram and Gramps do, aren't you?"

"We're true love, Henry, of course we are. It's practically a rite of passage," Killian replied. From Snow and David's room, the three heard David grumble, and they laughed.

The Hyde and Evil Queen mess might not get resolved tomorrow, or the next day. And it absolutely was a problem that needed to be dealt with. But for now, Emma was pushing aside the need to do _something_ , and instead focused on relishing in these little moments that life is made up of.


End file.
